Harry Styles
"Girl, I don't know how you're still conscious." The doctor told Cleo, huffing under her breath. She was a bit older than my mother and her green eyes were wide and concerned as she stitched Cleo up, but she seemed acceptable.
We'd finally arrived at the tattoo parlor and Ash wasn't going to open it today so her private doctor could take care of Cleo and also so we could relax a little after all the fucking stress we went through.
It'd been three hours since we left Ray's house and the only wound left to be stitched was the one on Cleo's cheek. It was a large gash on her face but this doctor was very good. She removed the bullet from her shoulder, stitched the deep cut on her thigh, cleaned up the other many cuts that fucking asshole had dared to leave on her body, and also took care of her cut off finger.
I was so fucking glad we had Ash to help us, I had no idea what we would've done if not.
It was still hard for me to process the past 24 hours, but I had to focus on the fact that Cleo was alive and safe. She was in a much better shape than I first thought she'd be, and she actually handled herself pretty damn well.
That's my girl.
I wanted us to rush to the doctor the moment I saw her though, because she was limping and covered in blood, it made me feel fo fucking worried. I knew she was strong but our bodies had limits and I didn't want her to reach them.
But she insisted on going after Ray and thank god he was dumb enough to go to his house and assume she wasn't going to get out, or else I was sure she would've hunted him down.
He had no fucking idea who she was, maybe he knew me when I was younger, but Cleo was much worse. She didn't have to say her name or make sure people knew it was her, she did her job and she left... no questions asked.
She literally cut his dick off and made him choke on it, and if I wasn't already certain that I was gonna love her forever, I'd be now.
She was just... fucking amazing. Of course I had to help her cut that bastard's head off, I also wanted to have the satisfaction. Even if he didn't rape her, he touched her and he hurt her. And now look where that got him.
We had to leave his body behind and Cleo only had time to get her new knife before we rushed out of his house, she was quite fond of this new blade. It was sharp as fuck and really big compared to her others, but the damage it could do was incredible.
I didn't have time to worry about evidence or the FBI, Cleo needed a doctor and we had to be safe. I killed pretty much everyone that crossed my way when I went to that abandoned building and I was sure they would assume it was some rival gang rather than only two people.
Well, they really got killed by two wounded psychopaths clearly not in their best shapes, and it was still easy.
Cleo knew we were the best team, we worked very well together.
"I can handle the pain," Cleo spoke up, smiling at the doctor. "But I really want some painkillers after you're done, my muscles are killing me and I really need to sleep."
"How's your neck? Those bruises are ugly around there, I just realized it." The woman furrowed her eyebrows and I had to suppress a smile.
I was sitting on the reclinable chair right next to Cleo's, also waiting for my turn to get stitches, and I knew my broken hand had to be immobilized.
Cleo just had to go first, she needed it much more than I did.
Ash was standing up and barely talking, she was so worried about us. I didn't know how to repay her, honestly. She made sure everything was ready for us once we got here and I knew she was risking a lot.
"Don't worry, the bruises were already there." Cleo smiled again, glancing at me, probably because I also had bruises around my neck and we knew very well the reason behind those. "I'm all good."
"Sorry about the finger, though. I really couldn't reattach it." The woman said, blushing slightly and keeping her eyes on Cleo. "It's gonna heal nicely... maybe you can look for a prosthetic one-"
"I don't fucking care about the finger." Cleo interrupted her, letting out an exasperated sigh. "We're alive, the motherfucker is dead. That's all I need. So thank you for doing this, Mary."
Oh, Cleo paid attention to her name. I honestly couldn't pay attention to anything but Cleo.
She was here... god, if only she knew how much I suffered. Clearly not as much as she had, but this was new to me. Desperation didn't even cover what I felt while I was looking for her, but I knew I'd get her back.
I took a little longer than I planned, but we were also lucky.
"Ray certainly deserved it," Ash spoke up, catching my attention. "I'm so sorry, Cleo. I'm glad you handled it. And I'm fucking glad you cut his dick off."
"It's gonna be a fun crime scene to walk into." Cleo chuckled and Mary widened her eyes slightly, starting to stitch the cut on her cheek. "He was a cocky motherfucker, no wonder he had trouble with every gang. I doubt they'll suspect us."
"Either way it was dangerous, you're wanted. This draws attention, you should definitely lay low for a little while." Ash stepped closer to her, and Cleo winced as the doctor was halfway done with stitching her cheek. "You can stay in the house right next door, it used to be where I lived before I moved. I'll have some men watching the perimeter and you can take a few days to rest and take care of yourselves. I'll get some more clothes and food, you can go back to the penthouse later."
"I agree. A lot of important people also live in that building, I'm sure they'll change the whole security system and keep it on the low. That's why I picked that penthouse." I spoke up and Cleo glanced at me. "It's safer to not go back for now though, so thank you."
Ash's idea was really good, and Cleo and I really needed to take care of ourselves now. I wasn't scared to go back to the penthouse, I knew it'd be just as safe as any other location in the world. If someone wanted to find us, they'll figure out a way. We had to be ready like we always were, and we weren't physically ready now.
Having Ash's protection was reliving as well, my brain honestly couldn't handle much more. I wanted to focus only on Cleo, no matter where we were. I could think about my mother and Liam later.
"Thank you so much," Cleo told her. "Sorry we kinda ruined your day."
"It's an honor." Ash smiled at her. "There's furniture in the house, it clearly isn't as fancy as Harold's apartment. But I'll help you out and you can rest.
I bought some clothes already so you can get cleaned up, there's a bathroom in the back near the employees' room, there's a shower there. I'll go buy some things and I'll be back soon."
"Don't worry." Cleo sighed, and the doctor was done stitching her up. "This is already a lot, thank you."
Ash smiled before she grabbed her motorcycle keys and headed out of the parlor, leaving us alone with the doctor. Mary was done with Cleo now and she moved on to me, asking me to take my shirt off so she could see the gunshot wound on my shoulder, which was bleeding again.
Cleo remained quiet as she watched me, she was still all covered in blood and my plan was to clean her up very soon. Her curious eyes raked down my body as Mary took care of the gunshot wound, and I just knew she'd have darker bruises all over her body very soon.
"You fucked up your hand." Mary raised one eyebrow at me. "I'll bandage it and you'll have to keep it immobilized, I don't have a cast here so you'll have to behave. Can you use your left hand like the lady over there?"
"He can't, but I'll teach." Cleo smiled at me. "And I'll make sure he'll behave."
I rolled my eyes at Cleo and ignored the pain when Mary pushed a few bones back in place, but my hand was so fucking swollen and red that I knew she was right. I needed to take this seriously if I wanted my hand to heal and be functional.
But of course, I was going to learn how to use my left one, I already knew how to do a few things with it.
About thirty minutes went by until Mary was done and my right hand was all bandaged. And then I walked closer to Cleo, helping her stand up because of her thigh, and I also grabbed the paper bag where the clothes
Ash had gotten us were. We needed a shower, some food, and then
painkillers.
And finally some sleep.
After thanking Mary once more, Cleo grabbed my bicep for support as we headed towards the bathroom Ash had mentioned, and it looked like a very small locker room. I quickly turned on the lights and Cleo put her hand on the wall for some balance as she waited for me to turn on the hot water.
I placed the bag near the sink and avoided my reflection in the large mirror,
proceeding to take off my pants and underwear, moving on to undress Cleo once I was naked.
She was weak and very hurt, I knew she was joking around and putting up a strong front to keep me calm.
I took off the black shirt she was wearing, completely soaked and torn, and then I knelt in front of her to slide her underwear down her legs. Fuck, her knees were scraped and she had so many cuts, the scars would probably get lost among the old ones she already had.
"He cut me up pretty nicely." She spoke up once I was on my feet again, helping her walk towards the shower cubicle.
"He got what he deserved," I told her, softly holding her left hand and looking down at the missing finger on her right hand. "I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm so fucking sorry."
"Harry, stop. It's not your fault." She furrowed her eyebrows, wincing as soon as the hot water hit her back. "Fuck, it hurts."
I hated seeing her in this kind of pain.
"I was careless, I'm sorry," I repeated, being as careful as I could when I pulled her closer to hold her in my arms.
The water going down the drain was deep red and the steam was getting thicker around us, and she hugged me back. Her muscles relaxed a bit more the moment our bodies touched and I just had to keep her close.
Fuck, I was feeling so many intense emotions at once that I started crying silently, not even knowing why.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Cleo pulled away to look into my eyes. "I'm safe, you're safe. We kicked some ass... let's take care of each other now, yeah?"
I just nodded, keeping my arms around her and feeling the hot water washing off the blood from my body. Her blue eyes were wide as she looked at me, as if this time she was the one trying to figure out what I was thinking.
Her fingers briefly touched the small unicorn tattoo on my shoulder before she looked up to meet my eyes again.
"Did you go see Anne, baby?" She asked me with a gentle tone, cupping my face with her hands.
"Yes. I just had to, I hadn't felt strong enough before and I didn't want to waste the courage... I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it again. It was very fucking difficult and we still have to talk, but please let me focus on you now." I blurted out, speaking the fastest I had in awhile.
Cleo smiled at me, leaning forward so she could rest her forehead against my bare chest. "You're so strong, I hope you know that." She whispered.
"Now come on, we have to wash your hair. Thank god it's not long anymore, it'd be a bloody mess like mine. Let me take care of you."
Her words affected me more than I expected and I was just speechless, not even bothering to wipe away the tears anymore.
But I wasn't sad... I was relieved and so fucking happy she was with me.
Cleo reached for the small bottle of shampoo and I had to lean my head down because she was much shorter than me, and she tried to wash my hair with just one hand. This was quite funny because both of us had only one functional hand at the moment.
And I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
"What's the matter, Styles?" She huffed playfully, pushing me back so she could rinse my hair.
"You won't be able to drink tea with me anymore." I had to bite my lower lip to stop myself from laughing, and right when I opened my eyes Cleo splashed me. "Fuck off."
"You fuck off, you don't even like tea." She cackled, her cheeks were a cute shade of pink and it felt so fucking good to be able to take a deep breath without feeling the suffocating stress. "Stop making fun of my finger, I still have nine left and I can still beat you up when we practice."
"I'd never, baby." I smiled, cupping her chin and pulling her closer for a kiss. "You look even hotter now. If that's even possible."
She arched her back to press her body against mine again, with a sly grin on her face. She knew she was hot as fuck. And all mine.
"Good, or else you'd have to find someone else to suck your dick." She pouted those plump lips, but I could see she was trying to stop herself from laughing.
"Nope, I only want you to do it," I told her. "And I'm always gonna be careful around you now, I don't want you to cut my dick off."
Cleo giggled, and it was quite concerning because she didn't deny that she would do it if she had to.
"Lucky you I'm quite fond of yours." She squished my cheeks before she pushed my curls off my forehead. "Now help me wash my hair because I seriously need some sleep, I'm practically delusional by now."
I smiled at her and I grabbed the shampoo this time, her blonde hair seemed red because of all the blood and I carefully washed it off while she stood with her back turned to me, and I lowered my gaze to her ass.
She had about three sets of H and S imprints on her ass beside the tattoo itself, either from the time I'd carved her with the knife and also from spanking her, and softly brushed my fingertips over the inked design.
"I love you," Cleo whispered, catching my attention instantly.
"And I love you."